The silence after the hiss of corrosion felt even heavier than the pressure the sect leader had released.
A hole large enough for someone's head to pass through had opened in the reinforced wall of the hall. Small sparks appeared as an invisible energy dissipated, utterly powerless before what had just happened.
Elder Xu and the Sect Leader immediately exchanged glances.
"Did you see that?" the sect leader said as he approached the hole and touched the uneven edge in the wall.
"I saw… The blood not only corroded the metal and stone, but it also corroded the Qi of the Qi Gathering formation," Elder Xu replied, with a rare gleam in his eyes. The expressions of the two, which always seemed calm before, finally wavered.
They both imagined and thought the same scene.
What would happen if a single drop of that fell on someone with low cultivation? The conclusion was obvious.
The victim's body would be completely annihilated, erased, and unable to even react. No pill, nothing ordinary, could stop that corrosive force. Only a dense and stable Qi barrier could prevent death.
That was dangerous. Too dangerous.
But still, especially for the sect leader, it was fascinating.
"He's only at the peak of the First Realm… If his cultivation increases, just how destructive will this ability be?" the sect leader murmured, not too loudly, but his fluctuating emotions could be felt in his voice.
Elder Xu did not reply, but the gleam of anticipation in his eyes spoke for itself.
'This bloodline ability is definitely more terrifying than Princess Ling's bloodline,' the sect leader thought, making a brief silent comparison.
'If this boy grows, his strength will be unmatched. He won't be confined to this small place like us.'
Meanwhile, Elder Xu's mind followed a different thought.
The blood, he felt, it was poison. He didn't know exactly what type it was, how it worked, or what it was made of. But with so many years walking the path of poison, he instinctively knew that it was a fearsome poison.
And one thing he was sure of, if he studied it, he could create a poison beyond anything he had ever made until now. A poison capable of increasing the sect's strength exponentially.
The two stood there in silence for several seconds, lost in thought, while Cairen simply stood watching. Until the sect leader broke the silence.
"Boy, where did you come from?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Cairen felt the pressure descend upon him again, his body wanting to buckle.
"I… don't know. I don't know where I am, nor why I'm here. I just… appeared suddenly in that cave. I don't remember anything before that," Cairen replied sincerely, trying to withstand the pressure.
The sect leader studied Cairen's face, posture, and breathing. But he could not find any falsehood; he did not seem to be lying.
'Could this be a gift from the heavens?' the sect leader thought, still keeping his expression neutral, though now Cairen noticed it was much softer as he looked at him.
The man returned to the throne without Cairen even being able to see his movement again. He sat down and declared:
"Cairen Veyrith, from today you are one of the core disciples of the Three Poisons Sect. The ceremony will take place three days from now. Old Xu, take him to the core disciples' cave. Then return. We have much to discuss."
"Understood," Elder Xu replied, bowing slightly before turning to Cairen and heading for the door.
Cairen did the same as the elder and, after a slight bow, left the hall.
When the two left, the leader remained looking at the door for a few seconds before his focus completely shifted to the hole in the wall of his hall.
His lips slowly curved into a smile.
"Not long after a core disciple dies, and right before the tournament of the realms happens… If this isn't heaven's blessing, then what is? We have two years… With all the resources, with his bloodline linked to poison, and with my teaching and Elder Xu's…"
"Even if he cannot match the cultivation of others, it won't be necessary. His ability alone will make any opponent retreat or die a tragic death." The man on the throne murmured as he leaned back fully.
The smile on his face widened even more.
******************************
After leaving the hall, Cairen noticed that the initial hostility seemed to have disappeared. He felt that both the elder and the leader now even looked at him favorably.
He then asked Elder Xu, who was walking a little ahead of him, breaking the silence:
"Is having a bloodline really that special?"
Elder Xu thought for a moment before calmly replying:
"Having a bloodline isn't all that rare. I can think of a few people in the realm who have them, especially in the royal family."
"The real difficulty is awakening it. Without extreme luck, absurd talent, a stroke of fortune, or being born blessed, a bloodline can remain dormant forever. Though it still grants some advantage in cultivation compared to an awakened bloodline like yours, it's like comparing a snake to a dragon."
"When a bloodline awakens, the body changes. And along with that, each bloodline brings a unique ability. And they are always powerful."
Cairen became thoughtful. The Narakai bloodline wasn't that strong, or they wouldn't have been exterminated. Only becoming a Fallen had brought forth this frightening ability… And it was considered only third grade. How powerful would a higher-grade Fallen bloodline be?
After a while, Cairen asked another question.
"And the sect? What exactly is this place?"
Elder Xu looked at Cairen strangely, as if looking at an idiot.
"You don't know what a sect is?"
"No, actually, I know absolutely nothing. Nothing at all," Cairen replied, completely sincere.
The elder didn't respond and stayed silent. Cairen also didn't ask again, waiting for the right time to learn things.
After some walking, they stopped seeing any other disciples around. They followed a beautiful trail through a forest until reaching their destination.
A huge cave appeared, hidden behind a crystalline waterfall. The water fell heavily, but behind it, the space was luxuriously decorated. There was a path of polished stone, worked walls and pillars, and ten identical doors spaced evenly apart.
"The sixth door is yours. Tomorrow I'll bring servants to take care of the place and your meals. The only thing you should worry about is getting stronger and cultivating."
Cairen nodded and entered through the door, his eyes widening. He had never seen such a beautiful and comfortable place. And best of all, it was his now.
He explored the place fully. It was spacious enough. In one of the rooms, there was a cauldron, various poison vials, and poisonous herbs. Another room had nothing but a cushion in the center, it was truly strange. And the last was a normal bedroom.
When he finished exploring, he heard knocks at his door.
He quickly opened it, and to his surprise, Elder Xu was in front of him again. In his right hand, there were six books.
"Here. These are the basics. It has everything you need to know so you won't be lost. Memorize everything as fast as possible," Elder Xu said before handing him the books and leaving again.
Cairen took the books, genuinely grateful. He really needed information more than anything right now.
He went in and closed the door again. Then he looked over the titles of the five books.
Fundamentals of Cultivation, Herbs and Poison, Bestiary of the South Continent (Part 1), The Three Poisons Sect—Rules, Structure, and History, and the last book the one that caught his attention for being the smallest.
"Common Sense for Cultivators."
Cairen began by opening the last one and then discovered a completely different world from what he was used to. Cultivation, physiques, bloodlines, beasts, demons, races, forbidden territories, legends of powerful cultivators, events from centuries, eras, etc… There was so much that he couldn't stop reading until he finally reached the last page.
"I already finished it? That was really fast. What is this I'm feeling? Excitement?" Cairen was smiling as he murmured to himself.
As he turned the pages, the more interesting things he discovered, the more a feeling invaded him a desire to be strong. Strong enough to know all these things. Strong enough so no one could decide his death again.
Strong enough to ignore any judgment.
Cairen closed the book, with a faint smile on his face.
And then he quickly opened another book this time the one that truly mattered and the one he most wanted to learn from, especially after reading the last book. Cairen opened The Basic Fundamentals of Cultivation. And as soon as that happened, a sound he had momentarily forgotten emerged.
Ding!
[Secondary Mission: Awaken your affinity.]
{Reward: Fallen Affinity, Personal Fallen Ability.}
As soon as he saw this, his heart raced at a Fallen ability. He understood how strong that was after seeing The Serpents' Plague.
"Right, System, you said that the Fallen have three types of abilities. I'm a human Fallen, but I was just an ordinary person, so it makes sense I don't have a passive ability or an active one."
"But shouldn't I have my own Fallen ability from the start?" Cairen asked, feeling wronged.
[…]
"Tsk, you still won't say anything?!?!" Cairen shouted into the air, frustrated.
"Well, it looks like I'll have to see what this affinity thing is about."